The Strength of Your Heart
by shipsnthenight
Summary: Daniel is back from the dead and is trying to adjust to his new life in Storybrooke, meanwhile Cora is continuing her quest to leave Fairytale Land and find Regina in the real world. I suck at summaries I know. Starts Stable Queen but then covers other characters since it's my view on how season 2 should have gone if Daniel was alive. Please R&R.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

28 years ago

"_Regina doesn't need me. Not now, not when she thinks she's about to win. _

_The curse won't last forever, it will end. _

_And when it does, Regina will truly have lost everything._

_Than she'll need me."_

Today

"Can't believe it's really you!" She was holding him, clutching him to her chest, and still she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Daniel, her Daniel was finally here.

She felt his arms wrapping strongly around her body, his heavy breaths on her neck as a confirmation of the fact that he. was. there.

When they separated, Regina gently brought her hands on his face and looked him in the eyes. She had missed those eyes so much, and in that moment she decided that she couldn't live another day without seeing them, no matter what, she wasn't gonna lose Daniel again.

"Regina… wh… what happened?"

His voice, coming out broken by heavy breaths brought her back to reality. He was alive yes, but for how long?

"Daniel… Daniel it's okay! I'm here with you now, I'm not gonna let you go again!"

Daniel felt his legs give up and fell on his knees on the dirty floor of the stable, he felt Regina's hands holding his shoulders tightly and could hear her reassuring words echoing in his head.

She was right, she wasn't gonna lose him again , he had to fight, he had to remain awake, for her.

"David! DAVID GET IN HERE!" He heard Regina's voice more and more distant, calling for help, and then everything went black.

Lying in his hospital bed, Daniel could barely hear the voices whispering next to him. He recognized Regina's voice but not the one of the man she was talking to.

"How was this possible? You must have an explanation."

"Well… deary, I'm not sure I'm the one to ask. It wasn't me that brought him back after all, you know that."

"Whale is awake but no one can see him now, he's giving his "version of the story" to the other doctors, I'll talk to him as soon as I can. Now I'm asking YOU. You MUST have an idea!"

"The only thing that comes to mind my dear, is that the final touch to REALLY bring him back… was you."

"Me!? How?"

Daniel heard a soft chuckle after Regina's question.

"After all these years… do you still need me to explain to you the power of true love?"

No answer came after that statement. Then Daniel heard footsteps walking away and managed to catch one last sentence from the unknown man:

"It seems that you are capable of that after all… your majesty."

Only now since he regained consciousness, his brain registered a sharp pain in his chest, as if thousands of needles were stabbing his heart at the same time. He tried to open his mouth to call for help but it felt hard to speak:

"R…Regina…"

She was watching Runpelstiltskin walk away when she hard his voice and for a moment she was startled by it. She wasn't used to hearing his it again after all this time.

"Daniel? Daniel I'm here!" she rushed to his bed and grabbed his hand that was hovered in the air towards her. "Don't move too much okay? Try to relax, lay down."

"Regina what happened? Where am I?"

No. Not now, now it's too early, she couldn't possibly be ready to tell him the truth.

"There'll be time for that Daniel. Now we need to get a doctor in here to give us some answers."

"From a clinical point of view, he's… he's recovering from heart surgery, but honestly… I… I really have no idea of what kind of surgery he might have had… I guess the, new state of things here in Storybrooke helped with that, your majesty. THAT and Dr. Whale's abilities."

The doctor that was filling them in on Daniel's condition was (if it was possible) more confused than them. But at least he was trying to provide an explanation.

"What about, his rage… when he woke up… Whale said he was, a monster…" she felt Daniel's hand reaching for hers on the bed sheets she was sitting on.

"Oh, that… we asked Dr. Whale about it, and he said something about the… shock of the procedure." He took a moment to check his notes on Daniel "It must have hurt like hell because the body was struggling to accept the new organ. Thanks to… well, "magic" and blood compatibility, his body only took five or six hours to start responding again, after that time the pain was only in his head, he only needed something… or in this case, someone…" He pointed his hand towards her "…to calm him down."

"Do you… do you think it could happen again?" she asked.

"I highly doubt it, but we're gonna prescribe him some strong painkillers, he'll have to stay here under observation for a couple of weeks. Oh and, rest as much as possible and absolutely avoid any kind of stress, even minimum."

Regina nodded slowly, she didn't want to lie to Daniel but there was no way she could tell him everything now. She turned to look at Daniel and smiled at him with the most genuine smile.

"See? You're gonna be okay soon." She whispered.

The deep voice of the doctor interrupted their moment: "Your majesty, with your permission I'm gonna go check on Dr. Whale now."

"Of course doctor, thank you." Regina dismissed him with a small smile and a nod, and Daniel noticed the strange look on the doctor's face, as if he wouldn't expert that answer. He heard him in the corridor after he exited their room: _"Did she just SMILE at me!?"_

This confused Daniel even more, what the hell was happening here?

He turned to look at Regina, her eyes were never leaving him, as if she was afraid that if she looked away he'd suddenly disappear.

"…Your majesty?" he asked.

He saw her face saddening: "Yeah… It's, kind of a long story…"

"What happened Regina? Where are w-…"

"Daniel…" Regina interrupted him "you have… no idea, how I would want to tell you everything right now. I want to give you all the answers you deserve, even if some of those answers will probably make you never wanna see me again…"

Daniel was more confused than ever: "Wh… what are you talking about!? Regina please talk to me!"

"No Daniel, Daniel look at me! The most important thing right now, is you getting better. I promise, I will tell you everything. But first you need to recover." She brought her hand to his face and delicately stroke his cheek.

"Do you trust me?" she whispered, her voice breaking a little.

"You know I do…"

"Then… what you need to know now is that… in this world we are safe, nothing can hurt us. Cora is gone, she's been gone for years now."

She saw Daniel processing her words, slowly realizing the meaning of her sentence.

"Regina you didn't… tell me you didn't…"

"I banished her." Before he could say anything else she interrupted him again. "I sent her to another world, where she can't hurt anyone."

Daniel let out a sigh of relief and a small smile formed on his face, but Regina's heart was sinking.

How could she tell him the truth? Tell him about all the pain she had caused? He was terrified even at the thought of her being able to kill the person that took his own heart. How was she supposed to tell him that she was responsible for the death of dozens of people? She knew he'd never wanna see her again after the truth would come out. But if it meant the he was alive and could live his life, she could gladly live with that.

She tried not to think about it, right now she needed to take care of him. To be there for him.

"Thank you…" His voice tore her away from her thoughts.

"What?"

"For bringing me back. Thank you…" his hand reached for hers, kissed it gently before smiling at her.

Looking in his eyes she couldn't bring herself to utter a single word. In that moment, her heart was overwhelmed by an happiness she didn't remember she could feel. All she could do, while long awaited tears of joy started forming in the corners of her eyes, was gently lay her head on his chest and feel his arms reach out to hug her, his hands slowly stroking her dark hair "Oh Daniel I missed you so much!" the tears started falling freely from her eyes as she listened to his steady heartbeat, the most beautiful confirmation that this wasn't just a dream.


	2. Chapter 1

Weeks passed, and Daniel kept getting better and better. He had been discharged from the hospital and now he was living with Regina. He spent the last week exploring and getting to know this new world he woke up in, with the help of Regina that almost never leaved his side.

They were sitting in the garden, on the little bench under her tree, enjoying the quietness of the cold afternoon when Daniel popped the question she had been afraid of for weeks:

"So… are you ever gonna tell me how did we all get here?"

Her heart sank in her chest. She knew this moment would come, he deserved to know the truth, but now the thought of losing him again terrified her.

"Daniel…"

Seeing the change in her expression Daniel started to worry, was it really THAT bad?

"…the reason we're all here, is because of me."

She thought her answer would startle him, at least confuse him, but he didn't flinch, he only smiled a little.

"I figured as much, especially from the fact that you don't want to talk about it. It's the "how" and "why" that I can't explain myself."

Regina took a deep breath: "I… I casted a curse on the enchanted forest."

"What!?"

"You heard me. After you… after your death, I discovered it was Snow who told everything to my mother, even after she promised me she wouldn't. With that betrayal she took everything from me. I was lost, forced to marry a man I had no feelings for, to be the mother of the girl that destroyed my life, kept imprisoned by my own mother. I felt as if my life was over, I had nothing to be happy for, nothing to live for. And it was all Snow's fault." She paused for a moment.

"Then I met Rumpelstiltskin, Mr. Gold, he was the one that brought magic to my mother, that made her like she was and he helped me banish her in another world. That was the first time I ever used magic. And I liked it so much that I was scared of it. Scared it would turn me into my mother. I tried to get rid of it, tried to ran away but the temptation, the idea that there was finally something that made my life better made me come back to it."As she kept telling her story her voice started breaking.

"I promised myself I would never have used magic for evil, that I'd never have become like Cora, I wanted to use magic for good, to try and bring you back. But when even the last desperate attempt failed, it was like my own heart was ripped from my chest. There was only emptiness, a darkness that consumed me for years as I learned the dark arts, my only task was to destroy Snow's happiness, like she destroyed mine."

As he listened to Regina's story, Daniel was speechless, how could it be true? The person he was looking at was NOT what she was telling him, he had looked in her eyes many times in these past weeks, not once he had seen a glimpse of evil in them.

Regina took a deep breath before continuing: "I caused… so much pain, so much death, I became worse than my mother. As the queen I could do everything, the realm was under my complete control. I took so many hearts Daniel, and not once I thought of the pain I was causing, the only thing that mattered was my anger, every single time I took a heart I was back in that stable, back to the memory of how everything was taken from me. And the thought made me more and more angry at the world."

Regina paused, her eyes wandered to Daniel, that was looking at her as if he had just seen a ghost.

"When… when even my ultimate attempt to get rid of Snow failed, I felt so lost that I asked Rumpelstiltskin's help one more time, and he gave me this curse, everyone would be banished to a world without magic, separated from the ones they loved, their happy ending would never arrive, like mine never did."

Daniel didn't know what to say. It was too much to process all at once.

Regina, his Regina couldn't have done all that, not the Regina he remembered, not the Regina that was sitting in front of him.

"Now the curse is broken, thanks to Emma, Snow's daughter... that's another story. The story I just told you, that is why we are all here Daniel. It's all my fault."

Tears were falling from Regina's eyes as she concluded her story, tears of relief for finally being able to open her heart to someone, tears of fear of losing Daniel all over again after what she just told him.

She looked at him and saw the confusion in his eyes, his mind slowly absorbing her tale.

"I'm so sorry Daniel… I'm so sorry."

There was no lie in her words, Daniel could tell. But it wasn't him she should have apologized to.

"It's not me you should apologize to Regina." he whispered, and Regina let out a small sigh of relief because she didn't hear any hate of repulsion towards her in his tone, but a sting of judgment was there anyway.

"Believe me Daniel, I'm trying" she said "but it's not gonna be an easy process. Most of the people in this town have lost a friend, or a relative because of me, and I'll understand if they'll never forgive me. They have all the right to. What I want right now is for the people I care about to try and understand why I did what I did and what I've been through that made me like this. And perhaps one day they'll even forgive me."

Daniel brought his hand to her shoulder and squeezed it gently: "Regina, I don't need to forgive you, because you did nothing to me that would require forgiveness…"

"But… you can't possibly say that what I did was right!"

"I don't! Regina, let me finish. You did nothing to me, that's right, but what you did wasn't right at all. And yes, it'll take a while for the people to start accepting you... But what matters now, to me, is that the person I see in front of me is not the person you told me about. At least not to my eyes. And now I've been with you in this town for more than a month, and I don't see evil in you right now, I haven't for this whole time." He brought his hand to her cheek, still wet from her tears, and made her look at him.

"…I have to admit though, your story shed some light on the weird looks we've been getting from the whole town."

Even in that moment he managed to get a soft chuckle out of her. And for a moment they shared a laugh together

"But, Regina… I think I'm going to need some time to completely absorb everything you told me…"

Her hand almost unconsciously went to his. She grasped it gently and removed it from her cheek to let it rest on his lap.

"Of course, take all the time you want." The tears were drying on her cheeks as she slowly raised her head to smile at him, and he awkwardly smiled back.

Their thoughts were interrupted by Regina's cell phone going off, both her and Daniel jumped a little.

Regina took her cell phone and looked at the screen:

"It's Mr. Gold, he needs to talk to me about Henry's nightmares…" Daniel didn't know all the details, but Regina had told him that she, Mr. Gold and David were looking for a way to bring back Snow and her daughter from the enchanted forest, and then something that had to do with a sleeping curse.

"He needs to see me at his shop…" Regina added.

"Go… don't worry about me, I think I'll take a walk. Possibly very long one." he said.

Regina abruptly raised her gaze from her cell phone, a worried expression forming on her face. But Daniel was quick to reassure her: "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, it'll just help me think."

Her expression relaxed a little, but Daniel could see how his simple sentence, almost meant as a joke, had affected her. She was so afraid she'd lose him, and this convinced him even more that he couldn't leave her.

She got up from the bench and straightened her skirt "Of course Daniel… so, see you later?"

"See you later Regina."

* * *

Daniel walked around Storybrooke for a couple of hours, thinking, analyzing anything that Regina told him, but finding himself more and more confused. His mind was racing so much that he walked without knowing where he was going. When he stopped to look around he found himself at the stables.

"…_at least it's something familiar."_ He thought as he started walking towards them.

When he entered he realized he wasn't alone, he heard voices coming from a stall near him:

"So do you think I can ride him now?"

"Yeah… I think it's time kid."

Daniel's head poked from the door as David was ruffling Henry's hair. Seeing him David stopped laughing and looked at him:

"Hey…" David.

"Hello… I'm sorry I thought no one was here… I'll be going now." Daniel answered awkwardly, and was about to leave when David stopped him:

"No, wait! There's no need." He offered his hand to Daniel "I'm David… even if we already met…"

Daniel shook his hand "I'm… I'm so sorry about that… I wasn't myself…" he tried to apologize, Regina told him everything that happened while he was… well, crazy.

David was quick to reassure him "Don't worry... We know the whole story from Regina and Dr. Whale. It wasn't your fault." But for Daniel it wasn't enough.

"Nevertheless, I hurt you child" he said, referring to Henry "I really am sorry."

Henry, that until now had been quiet, silently following his grandfather's lead, reassured him too with a small smile.

"Don't worry about that. I'm okay now."

Having even Henry's approval Daniel relaxed a little, and his attention was captured by the beautiful pony Henry was brushing, he also noticed a strange burn on the boy's hand but didn't mention it.

"It's a beautiful horse you got there."

"Thank you" was Henry's quick answer "gramps says I'm ready to ride him!"

Daniel chuckled "It's a big step for a knight! Congratulations!"

"Thanks!" The smile of pure happiness on Henry's face faded quickly when David's cell phone rang. Both him and Daniel turned towards him.

"Yeah… okay, I'm on my way." David closed his phone.

"Kid, looks like we're gonna have to postpone our first lesson. Your mom called, she and Mr. Gold have news."

"No gramps! Come on I've been waiting for weeks! You promised!"

"I'm sorry Henry, but this is for Emma and Snow! You want them back too right?"

"Yes of course I do but you promised!"

"I know I know, I'm sorry Henry…"

"I could give him a lesson…" David and Henry were so engrossed in their argument that they almost forgot about Daniel, and when he spoke it startled both of them.

"Only if it's okay with you of course…" Daniel said, talking to David "I haven't rode a horse in 30 years according to Regina, but I think I'm still pretty good at it."

Seeing reopened the possibility of his wish coming true Henry started jumping on the spot with a smile forming on his face: "Yes gramps please! Please, please!"

David pretended to think about it for a moment but in the end he shook his head laughing softly:

"Okay kid… go get the saddle and get your horse ready like I showed you. I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up."

Henry sprinted down the stable to get his stuff, and David turned to Daniel: "Thank you. It's a tough time for him, he could really use something to get his mind off… things."

"You're welcome… I suppose these are tough times for everyone." The memory of what Regina told him suddenly returned to him and he couldn't help letting out a sigh.

"You okay?" David asked him.

"Yeah! Yeah, it's just… Regina told me everything that happened… with Snow and… I'm sorry..." before he could continue David interrupted him: "Don't! You don't have anything to apologize for. Your fiancée maybe…"

That last comment made Daniel chuckle, they never talked about the whole "engagement" thing after he woke up, so he really had no idea if he was to refer to Regina as "his fiancée".

"Gotta go, take care of my grandson!" David patted Daniel's shoulder before starting to walk towards his truck.

"Don't worry. He'll become the best knight!" Was Daniel's playful answer.

As he walked to the fence where Henry was waiting for him, a sense of strange calmness overcame him, and his problems slowly got smaller and smaller as he taught Henry how to mount on his horse, ad how to maintain balance. For the first time in weeks he almost felt at home.

* * *

Cora walked slowly towards Hook, chained to a stone wall by her spell. She took his hook and pointed it towards his heart.

"You know I have to kill you."

"You should try thanking me."

"Oh really!? Why is that?"

"Because I've brought you a gift, it's in the satchel."

Cora's evil smile faded from her face.

"What is it?"

"Customarily, surprise is part of the fun of gift giving. Open it."

Cora ripped the satchel from Hook's side, and slowly opened it. Her face was overcome by a rush of excitement as she realized what the content of the small bag was.

"Is that…"

"Indeed it is." Was Hook's short answer. "The way that you'll get everything you want…"

Cora couldn't hide her smirk, as she realized her quest for the compass had just been reopened.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Regina was standing over David's apparently lifeless body in Gold's shop.

She didn't really want to admit it, but she didn't want it to end this way. She wanted to try and bring back Snow and Emma, it was the only way she could prove herself to Henry… and to Daniel. David's help would have made the task easier now, and yet there he was, asleep.

In the quietness of the shop Regina could hear the slow steps of Mr. Gold in the other room, and she was quick to join him.

"Any change?" he asked as soon as he saw her.

"No, he's not improving. He needs true love's kiss. He won't wake up until Mary Margaret comes back."

Mr. Gold smiled a sarcastic smile. _"A typical Rumpelstiltskin expression"_ Regina thought.

"Until? Well, that's rather optimistic."

"What are you talking about?"

"We're up against your mother, the only chance Emma and Snow have to defeat her is with the squid ink."

"Which is why you sent the message through David…"

"Which would be beneficial if we knew that message has been delivered!" he interrupted her "But giving the prince's condition, we don't know! It's important we take precautions. We have to consider the possibility that when that portal opens, it wont be his family to come through, it'll be Cora."

Regina had refused to think about it until now, but Mr. Gold's affirmation, so simple and yet so powerful, terrified her.

"…and neither one of us wants that." The fear in her voice was evident.

"We have to find where they're coming through… and destroy that portal."

"But… whoever came through would die!"

"Exactly… but I'm confident between the two of us we can summon up enough magic to complete the task."

No. That was not an option. She promised both to Henry and Daniel shat we would never use magic again. She couldn't betray their trust like that.

"But what if we're wrong? What if that portal opens up and it's not my mother? What if Mary Margaret and Emma do defeat Cora, and go through it?"

"Well I believe in this world we call that a "win-win"…"

"How exactly is that!?"

"If we stop Cora, you, Henry and your… newfound companion are protected from your mother's wrath… If, on the other hand, we stop Snow and Emma, well… you become the ONLY mother in your son's life now don't you?"

She hadn't thought of that, and for a moment that thought made her consider the possibility… but Henry would never forgive her if he'd discover what she did.

As if he read her mind, Mr. gold was quick to propose a solution to that.

"Look, magic is unpredictable in this world, if something… unfortunate, had to happen while you were trying to help… Henry could hardly blame you for that could he?"

"No. I can't lie to him, I am trying to be a better mother…"

Gold could see her insecurity growing inside her by the minute, and he didn't hesitate to pressure her again.

"You won't be able to be a better ANYTHING, if Cora comes through. And if she does, she will be a threat to anyone, including your son… and Daniel. So if you truly want to be better… prove it."

Regina tried to reply, but the words died in her throat… she struggled to find a reason not to do it, not to risk Cora's return, putting the whole town in danger, but mostly Henry and Daniel.

When Gold obtained no reply from her, a smirk formed on his face:

"Think about it." Then he turned around and slowly walked to the door, leaving Regina alone.

* * *

"Keep that up Henry! You're doing great!"

Daniel and Henry were in the middle of their lesson. With David gone Henry went back to stay with Regina, and he and Daniel had become friends during the last couple of weeks.

They made the riding lessons a regular thing, and Henry was becoming really good at it. They helped him not think about David, and his mother and grandmother, and could bring a smile on his face for an hour or two.

He was so proud of himself, he even asked Regina to join them once, but she had politely declined, for now.

As Regina approached the fence, Daniel noticed her, dismounted from his horse and ran towards her.

"Regina! You should be so proud of this boy!" he said jokingly.

"I am." Was her simple answer as she leaned against the fence and nodded towards Henry.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" Henry was happy to see her but also confused, she never came to their lessons because she was always busy with Gold.

"I came to update you. We think we know where Emma and Mary Margaret are coming through."

"Really!?" Henry was so excited that he almost fell from his horse trying to dismount, and Daniel warned him:

"Hey! Henry slow down!"

Seeing his excitement Regina felt a sting of guiltiness run through her. She was about to lie to him, again. And even if he would probably never find out, she couldn't help feeling ashamed. Not to mention the fact that she was about to lie to Daniel too, the thought alone made her stomach cringe.

"Henry, I want you and Daniel to go to Mr. Gold's shop after you're done with your lesson, stay with David. Me and Gold have to make sure everything's in place for Emma and Snow's jump, and it's a delicate procedure. We'll all come to the shop when everything is done so Snow can wake David up."

"You mean they're coming today!?" Henry's smile was growing more and more wide.

"Yes, yes they're coming today." She tried to sound as much reassuring as possible, but the thought of lying to him and the fact that despite all her efforts Henry still wasn't happy with her broke her heart. She knew that when Emma would return, he'll go back to her and she would become a stranger in his life all over again.

"_IF Emma would return"_ she thought to herself. And for a moment, just a brief moment, she felt ashamed of herself for thinking that.

* * *

"And yes, she was beyond hope, beyond saving…"

As Henry read the story to his sleeping grandfather, Daniel was sitting in a corner, listening to him.

The boy had just read Regina's confession to Snow, of how he had died because of her, but to him it sounded like he was listening to someone else's story, he still couldn't believe that for years his body had been six feet under the ground, and now he was alive and breathing, like nothing had happened.

"This was her…"

Red storming in the room interrupted Henry's reading.

"Where are they? Regina and Gold?"

"What's going on?"

"All the magic has been drained from the mines!"

Henry's eyes grew wide:

"They stole it!?"

"What!?" Daniel got up from his chair and went to stand behind Henry, his expression more confused than surprised.

Before Red could answer Grumpy interrupted her:

"They snuck in after our shift and took everything! Nobody steals from a dwarf!"

"Except the queen!"

"And Rumpelstiltskin!"

Henry turned towards Daniel:

"If… they're not helping Emma and Mary Margaret then, that means my mom lied to us…"

Red kneeled in front of Henry, her hand gently on his knee.

"I'm sorry Henry…" her head turned towards Daniel too an apologetic and compassionate look on her face.

"…Daniel we need to find her! We need to stop them! We need to help Emma and Mary Margaret!"

* * *

Henry, Red and Daniel ran through the forest as fast as their legs could carry them, they had found Belle, asking her if she had an idea where Gold could have been and she had pointed them to the well where he had brought her the day he brought magic in Storybrooke, and Red had pick up their scent from the beginning of the forest, so they were rushing there, hoping it wasn't too late.

Approaching the well, Henry could see two people standing there, and some strange green sparks coming out of it.

"Mom!?"

Henry's voice made Regina jump, and she turned around slowly. Hoping with all her heart that she was just hearing things. But when she turned around she saw a very real Henry, and a very real Daniel standing in front of them.

"You're not helping Emma and Mary Margaret are you!?"

No she wasn't she actually was trying to kill everyone that'd come through the portal. But that wasn't how she was seeing it. She didn't want to see it that way, all she wanted to do was to protect Henry and Daniel.

"I'm helping YOU, Henry. We can't let Cora come through the portal. You have no idea… what she will do to us!"

"Emma and Mary Margaret are going to defeat her! I know it!"

"Henry your mother's right it's gonna be Cora!" Gold tried to convince him, but with no success.

"Regina!"

Her gaze switched to Daniel that was now walking towards her. He didn't look angry, if anything he was disappointed, disappointed but also extremely conflicted. She could also see some sort of compassion in his eyes.

When he reached her he brought his hands to her arms and gripped her tightly, asking all the attention she could give him.

"Regina please don't do this!"

"I can't let Cora come through! I can't lose you again, I won't survive this time!"

"Regina please listen to me! This is not the way to solve this thing! If Cora comes here, we will find way to defeat her!"

"Like we did last time…"

"That was different, neither of us knew she was capable of what she did! This time we are prepared! We will find another way I promise!"

"Mom please! You said you wanted to change! To be better! This is how!"

She tried to reply, but no valid argument came to her mind.

"Regina please…" Daniel's prayer was less than a whisper but to her it felt like he was screaming in her face.

Without a word she turned towards the well and slowly walked to it.

"Regina…" gold tried to warn her, but she ignored him, she laid her hands over the well and suddenly the magic in it was being absorbed by her body.

For an endless couple of seconds no one could move, everyone frozen in place, watching Regina's body wriggle violently as green sparks were running through it. Than, with an explosion more powerful than the others, her body was thrown against a tree and for a moment she laid there, unconscious.

Daniel rushed to her, kneeled and gathered her body in his arms as she reopened her eyes and started drawing heavy breaths.

"You okay!?" the concern evident in his tone.

She quickly nodded, reassuring him and turning towards the 10 year old standing in front of them.

Henry hadn't moved, his eyes never leaving the well from where his mother and grandmother were supposed to come back.

"No…" he whispered.

Regina struggled to find the words, the realization of her betrayal hitting her only now "I… I'm sorry Henry" then her gaze moved to Daniel, he was still holding her in his arms. "I'm so sorry…"

She though he was gonna get up and leave her there. What she didn't expect was for him to grab her and throw his arms around her, burying his head in the crook of her neck and whispering in her ear.

"Don't you ever do that again."

They stayed like for only god knows what, only half registering Henry screaming his mother's name as he saw her and Snow come through the portal and ran to hug them.

* * *

"Hey kid, you hungry?"

"Yeah…"

Henry, that was hugging Regina, untangled his arms from her and walked towards Emma. Regina tried to hold on to his hand, but it slipped through her fingers as he said goodbye to her and exited the room with his mom.

Watching her son leave, sadness overcame her, nothing would ever be good enough for Henry, he would never fully forgive her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Gold's cold words:

"Congratulations. You just reunited mother and son… perhaps one day, they'll even invite you to dinner."

She wanted to reply, but didn't find any words.

"Well, if they don't I do."

Neither of them had noticed Daniel in the corner of the room, when he spoke he startled both of them.

He approached Regina and took her hand in his: "What do you say? Granny's?"

At first she couldn't believe it, was he really not angry at her? She had betrayed his trust, lied to him, and yet there he was, asking her out with a smile on his face.

His hand went from her hand to her waist as he brought her body to his, and she smiled almost shyly… he had the ability to transform her in an eighteen year old all over again, which was okay sometimes, but not when Gold was in the room.

Regardless of his presence though, she laid her head on his chest and her smile grew wider.

"Granny's."

* * *

The whole town was celebrating, Emma and Snow were finally back, David was awake, and everyone was happy and carefree. No one was looking at the sea, where a pirate ship was slowly approaching the coast. Only two people were on board:

"There it is…"

"Storybrooke…"


	4. Chapter 3

_Sorry if this chapter is shorter than usual. Real life got in the way of my writing last night._

_Just a little clarification. In my mind Daniel was like…25/26 when he died so now they'd be _

_Regina 35 and him 26… so it's not weird right? right?_

* * *

Chapter 3

Regina and Daniel were walking home from Granny's later that night. With Emma and Snow back everyone was so happy that no one had minded Regina's presence there, Granny didn't even make her snotty comments like she used to do every time.

When Snow realized Daniel was there she had hugged him and apologized a thousand times but he quickly said there was no need to, and then Emma had demanded to know the whole story about, and I quote: "how the hell is he alive!?".

In the complex it had been a good night. One that Regina hadn't had in years, and now they were walking home and for the first time after almost forty years they were confident enough to walk with their arms around each other.

"I'm so proud of you…" out of nowhere Daniel whispered those words, and Regina couldn't help but smile sadly.

"There's not much to be proud of… I almost killed Snow and Emma…"

"But you didn't. What you were about to do was not right. But the important thing is that you stopped in time, and that you did it willingly."

Her sad smile left room for a genuinely content one, and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you. I really don't know what I'd do without you now." She whispered.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He gently tightened his grip on her, and when she raised her head to look him in the eyes, the attraction he felt was so strong that he couldn't resist anymore, and he brought his lips closer and closer to hers until they collided in a kiss that they had both awaited for far too long. It was like it was the first time for both of them. Regina felt as she was eighteen years old again, the weight that she was forced to carry for all that time was magically gone from her shoulders and everything that mattered was him. Him, and the fact that nothing was in between them and their happiness now.

A couple of blocks down the street, two people were standing in the dark, watching the scene.

Cora was paralyzed, a mixture of confusion and pure rage in her eyes. What was he doing here!? How was he alive!? She had personally ripped his heart out, and now there he was! In the middle of a street kissing her daughter.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a low laugh behind her, and when she turned around she was greeted with the sight of Hook almost kneeling in the ground laughing.

"Ex..excuse me Cora but… that… that's your daughter!?" He said between laughter. "B… because it doesn't look like she needs mommy's help at all!" he kept laughing and laughing, pointing at Regina and Daniel. With a mere flick of her wrist Cora casted a spell on him that sent him lying on the ground.

"Ouch! Come on I was just kidding!" Hook groaned.

"Well you won't be laughing for long. Because this doesn't change anything. That boy may be alive but I am going to get what I came here for!"

"Oh yeah Cora!? And how do you plan on doing that!? It doesn't' look to me like Regina is desperate and needs your help, like you thought she would be."

"It doesn't matter. Her life is mine, and I'm going to take it. One way, or another."

* * *

The big house was silent, except for Daniel's slow breaths that only Regina could hear, laying her head on his bare chest.

They were finally together in her bed, their bed, her naked body laying on top of his and his arms gently circling her waist.

She couldn't, didn't want to close her eyes. She had dreamed of this moment for so long, knowing it was a hopeless dream that now she couldn't believe it had happened. She slowly traced the long scar on his chest and let her hand rest on it, feeling his heartbeat, and he subconsciously tightened his embrace on her waist. That simple unintentional gesture brought her back to the reality of the moment and all her fears disappeared, letting her slide in a content and restful sleep.

When she opened her eyes the next morning , she found herself in the same position she had fallen asleep in, with the difference that now a pair of ice blue eyes was looking at her and a hand was slowly moving through her hair.

"You should let them grow long again…" Daniel said with a small smile.

"Good morning to you too." She smiled at him and climbed the few inches between their faces to greet him with a kiss.

"And I'll think about it."

They spent the rest of the morning at home, both of them content to simply be together. Daniel still had to grasp the concept of "movie" and "DVD" so they watched a couple of classics, just laying on the couch and enjoying each other's company.

When Daniel found Disney movies in Henry's room he couldn't believe it was true so they watched a couple of those too. Sometimes even laughing at the mistakes they found in the stories.

"When Henry was five or six years old he fell in love with those cartoons and I had to buy all of them. Thank god he always liked The Lion King better than our actual stories." Regina explained to him between a movie and the other. He saw a shade of sadness appear in her as she said Henry's name, and he was quick to reassure her.

"Don't worry, he'll understand one day…"

"He probably already has, but he's right to avoid me. I made him feel like he was crazy while he was… the only one actually making sense. I deserve this, at least for now."

Daniel didn't know what to respond, so he simply tightened his arms around her as they both turned their attention to the mistakenly told story of Peter Pan.

"…who the hell is Peter Pan anyway?" asked Regina all of a sudden, and they both laughed at the comment.

* * *

In the afternoon Daniel went to the stables for his lesson with Henry. Now that snow and Emma were here the boy couldn't wait to show them how good he had become. Regina instead, went to go see Gold. They had agreed to meet to make sure that now that even that last portal was closed there was absolutely no way for Cora to come to Storybrooke.

She was on her way to pick Daniel up after that, when in the empty street she registered someone following her, steps so light that if it wasn't for her magical powers she would never have heard them. She stopped, and slowly turned her head, but not enough to recognize the person behind her.

"There is no one in the realm that can sneak up on me you know?"

"Believe me my dear, it wasn't my intention at all."

No it couldn't have been, she must be hearing things.

The smirk on her face slowly disappeared to make room for a genuinely terrified expression as she turned around. The confirmation of her fears in the sight of her mother standing there in front of her almost took her breath away.

"So it has come down to this… You and Rumple behaving like two scared little puppies because you're afraid of me?"

Cora spoke with a calm and unexpressive tone. "That's one way to greet your own mother Regina."

It was getting hard to breathe for Regina, the fear taking over her. Fear for Daniel, for Henry and for herself.

"H… how!?" was the only world she could whisper. Barely audible even for Cora that was standing a few inches from her.

"Oh come on my dear, did you really think that Snow and her daughter were strong enough to stop me? They merely gained some time."

"What… what do you want?"

"Strictly down to busyness I see. Let's talk for a moment! I want to spend some time catching up with my daughter first! I saw you the other night, with that boy… what was his name again!? David?… Delvin? How did you bring him back!?"

Uncontrollable fear was now running through her veins, and the fear turned to anger, a feeling that she had learned to concentrate into magic all too well. She felt the familiar tingling in her hands. Signal of her power that was ready to be unleashed.

"What. Do you. Want?"

Cora sighed. "Well I'm a quite simple person. I want what I always wanted. To guide you."

"Maybe you missed your clue the first time mother… I don't want your life!"

"Your life is mine Regina! It has always been!"

Before Regina could raise her hands to cast a spell on her, Cora immobilized her, and took a step closer. Now she was literally one inch from her face.

"You need me Regina, and I'm here to guide you now. Whether you want it, or not."

Cora's hand disappeared in Regina's chest, and the pain she felt wasn't comparable to anything she had ever felt.

Regina felt her mother's hand wrapping around her heart and squeeze it tight. Her chest burned, the pain blinded her, everything was on fire.


	5. Chapter 4

_Sorry sorry sorry I'm late with this new chapter, but it was for a good cause. I uploaded an OUAT video, here's the url if you wanna watch it: **watch?v=nN8HxRIflgw**_

_Plus, **this chap's not BETAed**, sorry._

* * *

Chapter 4

_"Now show me what you've learned. immobilize it!"__  
__Regina concentrated and casted the spell on the beautiful unicorn that was immediately wrapped in a thin blue veil and stopped moving.__  
__Regina smiled and turned to Rumpelstiltskin:__  
__"There I did it!"__  
__"Very good, very good my young apprentice! Now there's just one tiny tiny little detail... take its heart!"__  
__Regina's proud expression faded from her face that turned stone cold.__  
__"Like what my mother did to..."__  
__'OH! Your true love indeed! Than you already know how it's done!"_

_Regina reluctantly turned to the unicorn, still paralyzed in front of her, and held her hand high while she walked towards him…__  
__"Gently now... if you do it right... no harm will be done... unless of course, you will it."_

And tonight, Cora was willing it.  
Pain. Only pain and fire burning in her chest.

That was all she could register as her mother's hand gripped her heart with more and more force.  
So this is what it feels like, this is the pain Daniel went through, the pain she had caused to the countless people she had taken a heart from. Only now, while feeling the pain herself, she realized it.  
Then, all of a sudden the pain stopped, leaving room for a sense of emptiness inside her. Emptiness and endless darkness, as if she was just a shell emptied of all her feelings, and emotions.  
It was just a brief moment though. Soon everything started feeling like nothing had happened.  
Regina found herself on her knees on the dirty sidewalk, trying to regain her breath. She looked around, her vision still blurred, but she recognized her mother's figure standing in front of her.  
Cora was holding something in her hand, a small object, that glowed of a bright red light.  
When the realization hit her, Regina wished a thousand times to be dead instead. Her mother had taken her heart, her life, she belonged to her now.  
"Wh...why?" she managed to ask.  
"Why my dear? Because if you won't listen to me I am forced to use other methods! You are mine now, and you WILL do as I say."  
Regina lowered her gaze to the ground. Cora was right. there was no way out now. Her thoughts went immediately to Daniel and Henry. They were in danger now and there was absolutely nothing she could do to protect them. Or maybe there was…

Using all the strength and courage she had left, Regina put a smirk on her face and raised her head.  
"All right mother... you bested me. I am yours now." She tried to sound as convincing as possible, hoping her mother would buy it. This could give her some time to try and find a way to protect Daniel and Henry.  
"Oh Regina... you've never been capable of lying to me. I appreciate the effort though, and I know why you are doing it. Despite all these years you spent hating the whole world, your heart it still capable of love, it's always been your greatest weakness. Proof is the fact that you couldn't kill me yourself, you sent Hook instead. And thanks to that now I'm here, to tell you once more Regina, that love is weakness. You love Henry and Daniel, and thanks to that I now have you in my control."  
"You will not touch them..."  
"You're right I won't. Until you keep your head down, listen to your mother, and do as I say, I promise you they won't be harmed. But Daniel… Daniel's punishment for being alive will be far worse. He will watch you show who you really are. You are destined to rule above everyone else! Destined for power! Daniel will see his true love rise above all the others and regain control of the realm. He'll see you for what you are really capable of. And in the end, you would have caused so much pain to him, that he will be the one to kill you."

If her heart would have still been in her chest, she was sure she would have felt it stop beating. How could Cora be so twisted and cruel? Why? Why couldn't she just let her go?

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered.

Cora chuckled "Because Regina… you are a little girl playing with fire! Everything you've done, everything you've achieved in your life happened because someone planned it for you, and let you believe it was all your doing. You are still the eighteen year old that pushed me into that portal. You play games you don't have the cards to win. And that's why…"

She paused and raised the hand holding Regina's heart "…I'm taking over now."

Regina saw her mother's hand closing firmly on her heart, and then the pain was too much for her already weak body, and she collapsed on the sidewalk floor.

* * *

"Mom! Granma! Look!" Henry was galloping fast in the large stable's paddock, under Daniel and David's vigilant guard.

"You are doing great Henry!" Snow was smiling proudly at her grandson's goodness, and Emma couldn't take her eyes off him, in just a couple of months that she was away he ad grown so much. She was leaning on the white fence, content of finally being home to her son, and that her family… it still felt strange to say it but that's what it was. Her family was finally reunited.

"_Seems like everyone's got their happy ending now."_ she thought, looking at Daniel that was standing next to her.

He noticed her looking at him and politely smiled at her "We haven't really been properly introduced." he said "I'm Daniel."

"Sure, Regina's fiancée…" She couldn't hide a sting of bitterness in saying Regina's name. "I'm Emma."

Their friendly moment was interrupted by Henry's voice:

"Mom! You came!"

Confused, Emma turned to Henry but she didn't meet his eyes, he was looking behind her with a big smile on his face. So she followed his gaze and it fell on Regina standing at the entrance of the stable.

She didn't acknowledge Herny's greeting though, her gaze merely went from Snow to David to her and Daniel, and the smile on her face didn't seem friendly at all.

Seeing her, Daniel's smile grew wide. He had missed her today, even if it was just a couple of hours he couldn't wait for her to be in his arms again.

"Regina! You made it!"

He jumped the fence and started walking towards her.

She was standing in the stables, seeing everything that was going on, but it wasn't her controlling her body. It was like she was trapped in her own skin, trying to run away but not having anywhere to run. All she could do was watch what happened around her, absolutely powerless.

She saw Daniel, and felt the uncontrollable need to run to him and collapse in his arms, but her body wouldn't move. Than she saw him walking towards her, felt her hand move, shivers of magic running through her arm.

_No… no please no…_

Before she could even register what was happening, Daniel's body was dashed against the fence by some invisible force and he collapsed on the ground.

Red sparks came out of nowhere were wrapping against Emma, Snow and Charming's body paralyzing them. It took Regina less than a second to realize they were actually coming from her hands.

She tried to stop it, to run away, that was the only way she could save them. Nothing worked, she couldn't even close her eyes.

Regina was forced to watch as Cora's will wrapped the Charming's bodies in a dark cloud and made them disappear, the only things she registered before the black smoke enveloped her too were Henry's screams and Daniel trying to get up, his eyes looking directly in hers, confused, scared and disoriented.

* * *

Mr. Gold was in the back of his shop when he heard the soft ring of the bell, signaling the door opening.

"Seriously people what is wrong with you and that 'closed' sign!?" he commented, convinced the no one in the other room could hear him.

"Well, maybe you should try locking the door…"

Gold's back was turned to the door, so he couldn't see who had just entered, but surely he recognized the voice.

Surprised, he turned around, and was met with the sight of a shiny silver hook being pointed under his chin and the sting of a blade poking at his side.

"You wouldn't want to risk some… unwanted customers to come in, uninvited…"

The smug smirk on Hook's face was made of pure hate and thirst for revenge that had piled up in the long 30 years of his waiting. And now it was his moment. He didn't care if Rumple still had magic _"he won't have time to use it"_ he thought HE CAN be killed here. And that was the only thing that mattered now.

He saw Rumplestiltskin's eyes travel from his face to behind him, and couldn't help but notice his thin lips twitching in an almost invisible smile.

"Are you gonna kill me now… captain?" he breathed out.

"You bet your ass I am…"

He raised his hook ready to hit him, but when he brought down his arm his hook was gone, and he didn't have the time to react that his body was slammed into the wall where he remained blocked.

He looked around and her saw that the magic wasn't coming from Rumplestiltskin, but from Cora, that was standing at the door, holding his hook.

"Not so fast captain…"

"What are you doing here!?" his anger now visible as he tried to break free of the spell.

Without a word Cora immobilized Rumple that despite his effort couldn't stop her, and then she turned her attention back to Hook.

"I need him alive. E may come in handy some day…"

"What about our deal!?"

"Oh, my dear boy…" Cora said, slowly walking to him and releasing him from his invisible chains "do you feel like you are in the position for making deals? You have been useful to me, but nothing more than that."

Hook knew her well enough to know that he wasn't gonna get out of there alive, so he pushed his luck.

With all the strength he had, the shoved Cora's body in a pile of boxes and ran to the door.

Cora wasn't expecting it, and it took her one second too long to recover, the second that allowed Hook to avoid her spell and run away in the darkness of the street.


End file.
